Witness diversity (2023)
File Ref: F23-440
Date of Response: 10/10/2023
Request
Looking at your Authorised Retention and Disposal Policy (hyperlink available here: https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/parliamentary-archives/ardp-excel-v.-3.4.pdf (pdf, 1MB) ), please can I have results/findings of your (various) 'witness diversity survey(s)’ (p.98) and full ‘anonymised witness diversity statistics’ (p.97) from the current Parliament?
Response
This information is held by the House of Commons.
The House of Commons Liaison Committee records and processes the diversity information of witnesses to Committee hearings through witness diversity surveys, as well as two data sets which are processed in relation to this:
• Statistics on the gender of oral witnesses to Committee inquiries, and which are published in the House’s Sessional Returns.
• Since the beginning of the 2021-22 session, a broader range of characteristics as part of a separate data set, which is also expected to be published following the end of each parliamentary session. This data set includes, amongst others, the following protected characteristics of witnesses:
• Age group
• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation
• Ethnicity
• Disability
• Religious beliefs
• Level of qualifications held
In the first instance, please note that some information relevant to your request, specifically statistics on the gender of oral witnesses from the 2016-17 session to the 2021-22 session, is already publicly available on our website. This is exempt from disclosure in accordance with section 21(1) and (2)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), which removes a public authority from the obligation to provide access to information which is already in the public domain. This is an absolute exemption, and the public interest test does not apply. Sessional Returns can be found here on the Business pages of our parliamentary webpages.
Regarding any further information we hold in relation to your request, please note that the work of the Liaison Committee and information about committee witnesses is subject to parliamentary privilege. This privilege includes the exclusive right (cognisance) of a committee to decide if and when information should be disclosed, including details of witness surveys and statistics related to them, and this is therefore exempt from disclosure under section 34(1) FOIA which prevents an infringement of parliamentary privilege. This is an absolute exemption, and the public interest test does not apply.